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Saturday, 18 February 2012

Semmelklöße (German Bread Dumplings).

So last year my boyfriend Jai and I decided to make a list of things we wanted to do, no matter how small or big they were, we put them on the list. So right under Jai's wish of wanting to go on an overseas holiday, he also had 'Make German Bread Dumplings'.

I'd never heard of them before but I guess they appealed to him as we have indeed traveled to Germany as well as many other European countries.

He sent me a link to a recipe which you can find HERE and they looked pretty interesting, so I decided the next time we were together cooking, that we would make them seeing as though I had all the ingredients already in the pantry.

I wanted to do a little bit of research as I always do, so I found out that these German Bread Dumplings are also known as 'Semmelklöße' and are in fact from Bavaria. You can serve them with just about anything, whether it be a traditional stew or soup, or even served with a pork chop and apple sauce.

Notes
I found the recipe wasn't very precise as it heavily depends on what type of bread you use etc. so most of the time I was making the mix I was doing a bit of guess work, and added more milk if I thought it needed it or if it was too soggy I would add more bread etc.
To make Schinkenknödel you can add chopped ham to the mix. Other variations could include adding onion, thyme, sage, marjoram, or a pinch of nutmeg.
Left overs are also nice (I think possibly even a little better) fried in some butter or oil.

1. Place the bread in large bowl and pour in the warm milk, using more or less depending on how dry the bread is. Using your hands, knead the milk lightly into the bread. Cover and set aside to rest for about 30 minutes.

2. Mash the soaked bread to form a thick dough. Mix in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each one before adding the next. Only use the third egg if the dough is too dry to form balls that hold together.

3. Add the parsley, salt and pepper and knead until smooth. If the dough seems too loose or sticky, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour or some breadcrumbs to firm it up.

4. Using wet hands, form 1/4-cup portions of the dough into balls and set aside on a baking sheet until all the dough has been used up.

5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to a slow simmer and drop the dumplings carefully into the water. Simmer for about 20 minutes, gently stirring occasionally.